Wire gate



(No Model.)

B, R. POTTER.

WIRE GATE.

No. 380,591. Patented Apr. 3, 1 888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Erica.

EDWARD R. POTTER, 0F GRINNELL, IOWA.

WIRE GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,591, dated April 3, 1888.

Application filed October T, 1887.

To all? whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, EDWARD R. POTTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grinnell, county of Poweshiek and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Gates, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a wire fence-gate capable of ready construction at moderate cost and adaptable to any section of fence wherein it may be desired to locate the gate without the requirement of additional or special posts, the wires simply being severed at their point of intersection with one of the posts and utilized to compose a part of the gate, theirloose ends being connected to a bar bearing the herei n-described hooking devices.

In order to enable others to understand and use my said invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, and subscquently point out in the appended claims its novel characteristics.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,in which like reference-letters indicate like parts, Figure 1 is an elevation of the structure as applied to a barbed or other wire fence; Fig. 2, an enlarged detail view of the hooking device; Fig. 3, a view of additional devices pertaining to the invention, and Fig. 4 an illustration of a modification of the construction.

A and B are the usual posts at any section of the fence, the wires C whereof are ordinarily passed through staples a at each post.

D is a vertical connecting-bar, preferably of wood, bearing the hooking-latches E E, piv- The hooking-latches E E have a series of hooked notches, b, beneath their engaging ends a, made to engage with projecting latch pins or studs (1 on the post A. The opposite ends or tail-pieces of the said hooking-latches are adapted by their hooked enlargement f, or otherwise adapted form, (as suitable eyes,) to receive and hold the ends of some of the wires forming thegate, as G O, by a loop formed in the latter, the remaining wires, as O G, of the gate being connected directly to the bar D by staples 9'. Otherwise all the wires 0 O O G of the gate may be connected alike to the bar D by means of staples or other well-known means of fast- Serial No. 251,682. (No modelJ ening, and the booking devices be formed like the lower one in Fig. 4, terminating with the pivot e.

The wires 0 O G O of the fence are connected to post A (after being severed for the purpose of constructing the gate) by means of staples also, as preferably driven into the side of said post to avoid interference with the latches E E.

The devices illustrated by Fig. 3 consist of lugs h, fastened to post B by screws or nails, or they may consist simply of eyeboltsscrewed into said post, and the same are adapted to pivotally fasten the several wires 0 C G O of the gate, (after severing them from the fencewires 0 G G 0,) so as to permit the complete throwing back of said gate to a wide open position without bending the wires, especially where heavy wire is used.

The bar D is permitted to rest on the ground when the gate is open; or said bar may be hung on one of the posts, as B, by any suitable hook adapted for the purpose. the fence the operation of tightening the gate is as follows: The connecting-bar D is first hooked to post A by one of the latches, as the lowerone, E. The lower wire,G', corresponding thereto,preferably having less tension than the remaining wires, (when the bar D is vertical,) is brought as taut as convenient by a direct pull, and there held by engagement of the latch E with the lower pin, (1'. The bar D now being in a slightly-inclined position, as indicated by dotted lines, the latch Eis placed in engagement with its pin d, and said bar forced toward its upright position, obtaining leverage from the fulcrum e to draw the gate wires 0 G and upper wire, 0, taut, one of the series of notches b of latch E retaining the structure at any point reached.

The modified form of construction shown by Fig. 4 illustrates more specifically the leverage principle herein employed, said leverage being applied to all the wires 0 C G O, as will be understood by an inspection of said figure, wherein the lower wire, 0, has its point of attachment to the bar D located above the fulcrum e, and thereby permits a somewhat extended purchase of the latch E on pin d preparatory to bringing said lower wire taut by To close the general tightening movement of the barD toward its upright position.

A function of the latch tail-pieces f (shown in Fig. 1) consists in automatically lifting the.

latches to their projected engaging position shown as the bar D is carried up to the post A in the act of closing the gate, the wires 0 G throwing each latch into horizontal line by their retention. In absence of the tail-piece, the latch may, however, rest on a suitable pin, as t, Fig. 4, when disengaged. 7

It is of course to be understood that the gate is applicable to fences having any number of wires other than that shown, and furthermore that the latches described may be applied to any number or to all of the gate-wires.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to employ staples having serial notched ends projecting from a gate'post with which a pawl carried by the connectingbar engaged, and hence I do not claim, broadly, a serial notched attaching-piece. The improved pivoted latch herein set forth has many advantages over such old form of staple, among which may be mentioned that it obviates the danger to animals from contact with any projecting points, spurs, or staples left extending inward from the post when the gate is open, as heretofore, this being an important precaudriven through in herds, and that an attempt by small animals to pass under the gate when closed, and thereby lift the wires and connecting-bar, will not cause thegate to be unlatch ed, as the pivoted latch will be simply rocked on its pivot without being raised sufficiently to become free from the latch-pin. My improved device, moreover, presents a structure more or less capable of accommodating itself to the position the latch-pin may occupy with retion, especially where cattle and the like are spect to the latch on the connecting-bar. The

, latch-pin and the pivot of the latch being at right angles to the strain on the Wires in pulling them taut, the loosening of the attachment is prevented and the necessity for use of threaded bolts and nuts is obviated.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is.

l. The herein described wire fence-gate, consisting of a series of horizontal wires extending from a permanent point of attachment to a fixed post to aperpendicnlar bar removably connected to an opposite post through, latches pivoted to said bar, and bearing series of notches adapted to engage at various points of tension with latch-pins upon said opposite post when the gate-wires are drawn taut.

2. The herein described wire fence-gate, consisting of a series of horizontal wires extending from a permanent point of attachment to a fixed post to a perpendicular bar removably connected to an opposite post through latches pivoted to said bar, which latches are provided at one end with a tail-piece for attachment of a gate-wire and at the opposite end with serial notches adapted to engage at various points of tension with latch-pins upon said opposite post when the gate-wires are drawn taut.

3. In a wire gate, the combination, with the connecting-bar, of the'pivoted latch having a tail-piece for gate-wire connection adapted to lift the engaging end of said latch when said bar is advanced toward the latching-post, as

described.

EDWARD R. POTTER. \Vitnesses:

L. E. SPENCER, M. SNYDER. 

